


just you and me.

by tellallyourfriends



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: -Ish, Canon Compliant, Established Friendship, F/M, Reader has commitment issues, Really Short Chapters, Sad Ending, i wrote this at 3am go easy on me, joel and ellie are cool tho, much more user friendly, sorry in advance, sort of a slow burn but not really, why aren't there more joel stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:48:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25839097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tellallyourfriends/pseuds/tellallyourfriends
Summary: four times you could've said i love you and one time you couldn't.(chapters are meant to be short)
Relationships: Joel (The Last of Us)/Original Female Character(s), Joel (The Last of Us)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> i came up with this idea while i was waiting for a match on dbd at like midnight and it hasn't left me alone since. i've written a little bit of each part but bear with me because i picked the worst time to write a fic, considering classes start in a few weeks. anyways, i hope you enjoy.

It was 7:34 when you finally decided to crawl out of bed and get ready for the day. The sun was already peaking through your pale curtains, it’s soft light reflecting off your hardwood floors. A draft blew through the room, causing goosebumps to erupt all over your bare arms. You’d been awake for a while, having woken up from a nightmare an hour prior. Since then, you occupied yourself by watching the fan in the corner of your room spin in slow circles. With a long sigh, you swung your legs over the side of the bed. The hardwood was cold under your bare feet as you tiptoed over to your closet. Although it was still fall, the temperature had already begun to drop too low for comfort in just a t-shirt. Fortunately, you’ve lived in Wyoming long enough to know this was normal and had a closet filled with sweaters. You pulled a grey jumper over your t-shirt and grabbed some socks from the dresser on your way out of the room. Your house was on the smaller side, considering you lived alone. Before you got a place of your own, you frequented your best friends, Javier’s, guest room. He didn’t mind, but after he and amanda finally got together, you decided it was time to get your own place. After you finish pulling your boots on, you grab the utility belt hanging on the wall and quickly pull it through your belt loops.

When you step out onto your porch, the early morning breeze clips at your cheeks, surely coloring them a bright red. You decide to keep your hair down until you get to the armory. Anything to preserve some warmth. With how the weather is going in fall, you can’t help but wonder what winter will be like. By the time you get to the armory, most people have already checked out their weapons and are standing near the gate, preparing to leave for their shifts. You’re not late, but you’re not necessarily early either, so you hustle to check out a rifle and grab some extra ammo for your pistol. You exchange good mornings with the stablehand on your way to get your horse from her stall at the end. “Hey, pretty girl!” you smile, running your hand up and down her neck. Her soft neigh lets you know she's happy to see you. As you begin to lead her out of the stables, you’re hit with an overwhelming urge to just go back to bed. You can already tell today is not gonna be your day. Perhaps it was the nightmare that threw you off. You don’t get them often, but when you do, they are always a lot to handle.

Nevertheless, you press on, squinting your eyes in a half-hearted attempt to find Joel among the crowd of people. You’ve forgotten how long you’ve been friends. Your best guess would be a year, not that it really matters. One thing you do remember is how long it took him to warm up to you. You can admit, you can be a little overwhelming to newcomers, which is why you assume he avoided you at first. Eventually though, he broke out of his shell, and you’re so glad he did. You enjoy his company more than most, and not just because of his southern accent, even if it is absolutely wonderful to listen to. Javier used to be your patrol partner, but he respectfully ditched you to accompany his girlfriend. You were mad at him until Joel swooped in to save you from having Maria randomly assign you a new partner. Now that you think about it, you never truly thanked him for that. Joel stands off to the side, speaking softly to his horse, running his hand through it’s mane. You wonder if he feels the chill, considering he’s only wearing a flannel with the sleeves down. When he notices you drudging over, he offers you a warm smile. “Mornin’.” he drawls, shifting the rifle slung over his shoulder. You don’t even try to smile back, merely grumbling in response. It’s Joel, so you don’t have to worry about him taking offense. Hell, he’s pulled this same routine with you many times. He gives a short chuckle, stepping back to allow you room to climb onto your horse. “It’s one of those mornings, huh?” you adjust her rein until you know it isn’t hurting her and it’s easy to control. “You know it.” you mutter, wiping your left eye with your free hand. Joel chuckles as he climbs onto his own horse, a quiet, “Noted,” leaving his lips, to which you roll your eyes.

Your patrol route for this week is short. It’s just a quick sweep through the surrounding neighborhood, and a patrol through one of the more civilized areas of jackson. Hordes were common this time of year and towns were always hotspots for stragglers. You and Joel make quick work of the neighborhood, focusing solely on sweeping the houses for leftover supplies and infected. Neither of you find any supplies or stragglers, and after an hour of double-checking, you both decide to head back to your horses. The silence isn’t uncomfortable. You find that it’s always like this with joel. In fact, you don’t think you’ve ever found yourself in an awkward silence with Joel. Your horses wait for you where you left them both hitched to a fence post at the start of the subdivision. It's warmed up a bit from this morning, almost enough to make you want to shed your sweater. You don’t, of course, only because you know as soon as you start riding again, you’ll be chilly. You’re glad you didn’t as the cool air nips at your already raw cheeks when you begin to trot down the street. Despite powering through the urge to climb back into your bed, you still feel… groggy. You know Joel notices the change in your demeanor. It’s kind of hard not to notice, but you’re relieved he doesn’t say anything. You two have developed an unspoken rule of sorts, revolving around the times either of you are in moods like these. Simply if one doesn’t say anything about it, the other doesn’t ask about it. As much as you’d like to talk about it, you just don’t have the energy to explain it fully. Talking might help, you know this, but in a way, just being in his presence makes you feel better. Not entirely, but enough to notice. You avert your gaze from your hands to look up at him. He’s slightly in front of you, which gives you a better angle to look at him without him noticing. You feel a wave of relief flood through you. You could be out here with anyone else, but you’re out here with him. With that thought, you realize just how much you enjoy his company.

Any bad feelings from earlier are pushed from your focus as your eyes widen in realization. You have feelings for joel. Not just the platonic friendship feelings, no, it’s much more than that. Now that you start to put two and two together, everything becomes a lot clearer. The weird feeling in your stomach that you always ignored when he would smile at you. The stumbling over your words when you were talking about him to other people. The comfort from his presence alone. Seemingly small things that you completely overlooked made a lot more sense now. There’s nothing you can do about it though because there’s no possible way he reciprocates these confusing feelings you possess. It shouldn’t sting as much as it does. These feelings have always lingered, and until now, you’ve never had any problems pushing them away. Can you ignore them now that you know what they are? You look down at your hands again and take a shaky breath. You've got it bad for Joel Miller.


	2. ii.

Watching a movie was something you’d never thought you’d be able to do again. You had every right to assume so, considering that it’s been twenty some years since the world went to shit and took all luxuries with it, including electricity. If it weren’t for Jackson and it’s wonderful hydroelectric dam, you probably never would’ve seen a movie again. Despite not being a film connoisseur before the outbreak, you’re grateful to be able to see those moving pixels on a screen again. Perhaps you took them for granted. Hell, you took a lot of things for granted. Especially showers. Thankfully, Jackson has an abundance of those as well.

It was Maria’s idea to designate one night a week exclusively for watching movies. Jackson was home to a lot of children born post-outbreak and she wanted every one of them to be able to experience a Disney movie. So, every Wednesday, everyone got to go home a little earlier for the sole purpose of watching a movie. It didn’t matter if you wanted to watch a movie or not, you took the time off. When you lived with Javier, you’d just tag along with him to Amanda’s house to watch some cheesy chick flick while they not-so-subtly flirted the entire time. You never really enjoyed yourself. Now that you lived alone, you usually just curled up on your couch and watched reruns of the office over and over again. Tonight’s movie night would be different though. On your way back from the market this morning, Joel pulled you aside to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie with him. At first you had no idea how to respond. After your realization on patrol last month, you hadn’t exactly acted yourself around him. You began to second guess everything you did because you were petrified of what would happen if he found out you had feelings for him. Fortunately for you, he hasn’t seemed to notice.

In a way, you were flattered he asked you. There’s a lot of other people he could be spending his time with and it makes your heart leap to know that he enjoys your company too. But you know yourself. You’re not sure you could spend that much time alone with him without getting flustered. He obviously sensed your hesitation and clarified that Tommy, Maria, Ellie, and one of her friends would be there as well. You were a little embarrassed he was able to tell, but it’s not like you were being subtle. You’re willing to bet money your cheeks flushed and your grip on the basket tightened noticeably. Yet, you could’ve sworn you saw him smirk. You accepted his offer with a warm smile and went on your merry way, thankfully avoiding any more awkward encounters. Of course you were excited. Hanging out with him made you feel good, at peace even. You’d learned that in this world, you shouldn’t let peace go. The two of you might never be together romantically, but his friendship was enough for you. You felt that it was better that way.

By the time you had to leave, you had probably double-checked your outfit over ten times. It wasn’t much, just one of your nicer sweaters and your only pair of jeans with no holes. You did your hair too. Though, it was just a simple half up half down that only took you two times to get right. Despite looking nice, you felt like an absolute idiot. Joel didn’t and would never see you as more than a friend. Why did you care so much? With a deep breath, you pushed any lingering doubts away and began your trek to Joel’s house. Luckily, he only lived a few houses down from you. The sun was beginning to set, which meant the late evening chill would be out in force soon. You were relieved it wouldn’t be just you two, but a tiny voice in the back of your head told you’d find a way to mess it up. Hopefully you could prove it wrong. The curtains to the living room were drawn, yet you could tell that the light was on. You thought you saw two silhouettes walk by it, but you weren’t sure. Despite you two living so close, you’d never actually been inside his house. There was one time you met him for coffee on his porch, except you wouldn’t count that considering you never actually went inside. To say you were nervous was an understatement.

Regardless of how anxious you felt, you swallowed the lump in your throat and brought your fist up to knock. You could hear the overlapping of voices from behind the door, which meant you were more and likely the last one there. Your stomach dropped. Maybe this was a mistake. Before your mind could convince you to run in the opposite direction, the door opens to reveal Joel with a wide smile framing his face. He’s changed since you saw him last. Instead of the dark green flannel from earlier, he now wears a tan button-up tucked into his jeans. His hair appears to still be damp, so you assume he showered as well. “Hey! Glad you could make it. Come on in.” he moves to the left to give you room to pass by him. You glance around what little of the house you could see, noting how similar it is to yours. The only difference you could see so far was the fact that the living room was on the right. Yours was on the left. Tommy and Maria already sat on the sofa, Maria’s head propped on Tommy's shoulder. Ellie and her friend, Cat, sat on a blanket on the floor to the right, a bowl of popcorn in front of them. “Hey! You’re late.” Ellie narrows her eyes at you, crossing her arms across her chest. Joel scoffs from behind you. “She is not. Don’t mind her.” he passes by you to grab the remote from the shelf behind the couch. “You act like you’re not late to every one of your farm shifts.” you shoot back, cocking an eyebrow at the grinning teen. Tommy chuckles from his spot on the couch. “She’s got you there, Ellie.” Ellie rolls her eyes, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth. “Whatever. Farm duty blows and you all know it.” She was right, farm duty did blow. Thankfully, you got out of it as soon as you signed up for more patrols. Joel sits beside Maria in the middle, leaving you the spot in the corner. He motions for you to sit, adjusting his own bowl of popcorn in his lap. Before you could sit, you notice a dreamcatcher hanging on the wall above the shelf. Your heart flips when you realize it's the one you made him for Christmas last year. “So what are we watchin’ again?” Tommy inquires, reaching across Maria's lap to grab a piece of popcorn from Joel's bowl. “Some scary movie.. what was the name again, Joel?” Ellie somewhat answers, standing from her spot on the floor to flip the lights off. As soon as the lights are off and it's only the tv illuminating the room, you’re reminded of the pit in your stomach. You are sitting _way_ too close to Joel. “Scream, the first one.” he clarifies. You enjoyed the scream franchise, but something told you you wouldn’t be paying too much attention to the movie.

You did well on ignoring the proximity between you and Joel until about halfway through the movie. When Joel shifted his position, he somehow got closer to you, which you didn’t think was possible. Apparently it was and now your shoulders were touching and to say it was killing you would be the understatement of the century. The entire right side of your body was on fire. There was no point in even trying to steady your breathing again. That opportunity was long gone. You tilted your head slightly to the side so you could look at him without him noticing. He looked completely relaxed, his hand lazily resting behind his head. More importantly, he looked absolutely oblivious to the effect he had on you. You weren’t sure how you felt about that. You look away before you let your mind wander too far. The one thing you were sure of was the almost irresistible urge to kiss him. You weren’t positive where the urge had come from, but you were overly aware of it now. You force yourself to focus on the movie again, despite your shoulders still touching. The two of you together would never work. You had already previously convinced yourself of this, yet here you are, letting your mind wander into dangerous territory that you weren’t sure you could ever get out of.

When the movie ends, Joel offers to walk you home. As appreciative as you are, you genuinely don’t trust yourself to not say anything stupid, and you’d die if you somehow created even more tension between you both. You don’t tell him this of course, instead you make up a silly excuse of him needing rest so he’s not grumpy for your patrol tomorrow morning. He rolls his eyes, waving you off with a small smile and a, “See you tomorrow!” thrown over his shoulder. The walk back to your house feels so much longer than it actually is with the amount your mind is racing, and when you shut the door behind you, you feel like you could throw up. On one hand, you feel disappointed in yourself for letting your feelings grow this much out of proportion. On the other hand though, you kind of like the way he makes you feel, and that revelation scares the shit out of you. What the hell was going on with you?


	3. iii.

It’s awkward between you and Joel now. Every patrol that used to be fun, now feels more and more like a chore. The tension between you two is unbearable and the only solution you could think of is to distance yourself. Of course it hasn’t been easy. He tries to talk to you whenever he sees you and always makes sure the two of you are on patrol together. Sometimes you wonder if it’s just you feeling the tension. This is likely considering you tend to overthink everything when it comes to this sort of thing. Despite thinking distance is the best option, you’ve mostly given up on the idea already. Going out of your way to avoid him just seems rude. Plus, it would be too obvious. You might not want to be with him, but you don’t want to lose your friendship. Well, you’d love to be with him. You’re just scared of losing him.

Jackson was known for a lot of things; flamboyant parties being one of them. Whether they were themed or just for fun, they were always talked about even months later. Javier always dragged you to the dances, and even if you did end up enjoying yourself, you never appreciated it. It’s not like you didn’t enjoy letting loose, you’d just rather do it alone. Though, considering this was Javier and Amanda’s wedding, you didn’t have much of a choice this time around. You hadn’t realized just how long they have been pining over each other until Javier told you they were getting married two weeks ago. They hadn’t been dating awhile, but they were sure they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives, so they didn’t waste any time. You admired that. Not that you could ever see yourself doing it, but hey, their lives. Perhaps you’d actually have fun. That soft, flowy dress in the corner of your closet has been calling your name recently. As long as there are some alcoholic beverages to mellow you out, you’re sure you’ll be fine.

Javier and Amanda decided to get married in the church’s ballroom, which you find ironic considering there’s bound to be some premarital sex between some couples later. You won’t be participating of course, but if there’s booze, it’s guaranteed to happen. It’s become a game between the teenagers of jackson to see which one of them can steal the most alcohol without getting caught. You find it very amusing to watch them nonchalantly breeze their way over to the tables and stuff bottles into their jackets. Only a few of them have been successful. You’ve supplied them with a bottle once or twice, only when you knew they were in a safe environment, and Ellie wasn’t involved. You were positive she’s been drunk before, but Joel would kill you if he found out you had been the one to give it to her. Most of the time you only gave it to Dina, Jesse, or a girl named Georgia. All happen to be friends with Ellie, so you’ve probably given it to her indirectly. As long as Joel doesn’t find out, you’re good.

The church was decorated beautifully with bright fairy lights and white streamers, stretching from pillar to pillar. A soft instrumental plays softly from the speakers in the corners of the room. Most of Jackson is already on the dance floor, and you hope you’re not late. No, you know you’re not late. You got ready an hour earlier just so you could make sure you got there on time. Everyone else is just early, you decided. The walk from your house to the church wasn’t too harrowing, but your feet were already aching from the sandals you had borrowed from Amanda. You thought it was funny that you were the one borrowing something from the bride, when in reality, she should be the one borrowing something from you. At least you thought that’s how the saying went. Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Weddings were just too much work. The little girl in you would scold you for thinking that. You remember planning your fairytale wedding at a young age. You’re thankful you didn’t follow through with those plans.

The ceremony was short and sweet. Both Amanda and Javier wanted their wedding to be more about having fun than having to listen to the two of them ramble about how much they love one each other. Eugene ended up marrying them, so of course you got some good laughs in. You remember Eugene asking Javier if he could wear a dress to marry them, which you would’ve loved, but Javier shot him down. You’re still a little upset with him about it. You stood against the bar, clutching a glass of whatever Lee had poured you earlier, observing the bustling crowd. You were on your third glass, so you were starting to loosen up quite a bit, but not enough that you weren’t gonna remember what happened in the morning. This was good, especially considering the fact that Joel was slowly making his way over to you. “I never thought I’d see you in a dress.” Speak of the devil himself, Joel snaked his way past the couple standing next to you to lean against the barstool beside you. You could tell that he was definitely not on his first drink either. Something about the way he was carrying himself. “Hello to you too, joel.” you rolled your eyes playfully, bringing your drink to your lips. He was wearing one of his nicer flannels, one of the ones without the blood stain you couldn’t scrub out, and a nice pair of non-frayed jeans. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t think he looked gorgeous. Of course, you planned to keep this fact to yourself though.

You two had settled into a surprisingly comfortable silence, simply enjoying the atmosphere and each other’s company, until a godforsaken slow song came on. You recognized it as an instrumental to a song you couldn’t quite place the name of. At first, you didn’t think anything of it. You had only noticed the atmosphere of the crowd change and a few people leave the floor. That was until Joel decided to ask you to dance. You almost spat out your drink when the words left his lips, nevertheless there you were, slow dancing with Joel to a song you didn’t know the name of. One of his hands rested on the small of your back while the other was intertwined with yours. As cliche as it sounded, the music did seem to quiet down when you looked into his eyes. God, it was like you were in middle school again. As you swayed slowly to the song, you attempted to focus on something else other than his hand rubbing up and down your back. You weren’t sure he even noticed he was doing it, but goodness was it trying you insane. He leaned down so he could whisper in your ear. “You look amazing.” Before you knew it, your stomach was doing somersaults and you were sure your face was bright red. He didn’t lean away. Almost as if he was afraid to look at you again, which you appreciated at the moment. Your mind was screaming at you to say something, but whenever you tried, it just kept getting caught in your throat. The song started to fade away, signaling it was finishing up. You took this as an opportunity to escape.

“It’s getting late, I should head home.” you pretended not to notice how high-pitched your voice had gotten. You hoped he didn’t notice either. He pulled away, hesitantly releasing your hand. “Let me walk you home.” God, he was making this hard on you. You weren’t sure you could handle that. “Sure.” the word had left your lips before you even had the chance to stop it. Despite knowing it was a bad idea, you couldn’t help the feeling in your stomach when he intertwined your fingers with his again. Both of you were silent the entire walk to your house. Halfway through the trek, you felt like you were going to throw up. You couldn’t decide if it was because of the fact you were holding hands with someone, or if it was because you were holding hands with Joel. Oh my, you were holding hands with Joel. After all this time, you were actually this close to him, holding his hand. Hell, earlier you were dancing with him. It’s crazy to think about. You reluctantly let go of his hand when you two arrived on your porch. “Thanks for the company tonight.” you shot him your brightest smile, beginning to reach into your jacket pocket for your house key. “It’s no problem.” As he said it, you located your key and pulled it out of your pocket.

But before you could actually use it to unlock your door, Joel was kissing you. His hands cupped your face, holding you close as if you would fade away if he let you go. Perhaps you would have. Hour whole body lit on fire. At first, you were so taken aback that you just stood there, but before he could pull away, you made sure to kiss him back. You hadn’t realized how much you wanted this until it was happening. It felt like you had accomplished everything in life. God only knows how much you longed to stay in that moment. Kissing under the dim porchlight without a care in the world. After months of pining, you were finally kissing him. This was it. Everything you wanted. Eventually, you both pulled away to take a deep breath, but neither of you moved to separate. His eyes bore into yours. “You have no idea how long i wanted to do that.” It was the most vulnerable you had ever heard him. “I might have some idea.” you spoke hazily, your smile stretching from ear to ear. His looked almost identical to yours, you imagined.

Together you both laughed and bid your actual farewells, which may or may not have included a few more kisses. When you finally shut the door behind you, you bursted into genuine laughter. Adrenaline flowed through your veins. Joel felt the same way you did. You two had just kissed on your front porch like a couple of teenagers coming back from their first date. The scary part? You couldn’t be more happier. Your lips tingled as you trudged up the stairs, and you couldn’t help but realize just how excited you were to kiss him again.

(this is quite shit, i know. it’s been a rough few weeks with classes trying to start up again. bear with me.)


	4. iv.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i’m so sorry for the delay on this. in all honestly, i had no idea which route to take this chapter, which led to the worst case of writers block ever. i apologize if it isn’t the best. i hope you enjoy it anyways. one more chapter left after this!

Two years later and you and Joel couldn’t be happier. After your kiss on the porch that night, you both realized that the feelings you two had for one another were mutual. You guys didn't waste any time making it official after that. Considering how shitty your past relationships had been, you were dead set on taking it slow, but as you and Joel got closer, you realized just how smitten you were. Eventually you gave up on trying to dim your feelings for him. He surely didn’t hide his feelings for you.

After the first couple months, you moved into his house. His place was much more homey than yours had been. It was much more lived in, even though you had been at Jackson longer. You assumed it was because of the fact he had a real family. Something about having a family always brightened an atmosphere. As soon as you placed your box of clothes onto his bedroom floor, you were overwhelmed with a sense of.. well you weren’t completely sure what it was. Peace? Happiness? Love? All three? Whatever it was, you didn’t want it to go anywhere.

Living with Joel was practically a dream. Considering this was your first serious relationship, he made sure you were always enjoying yourself. He’d play you songs on the guitar, make you breakfast, walk you to your shifts, hold your hand in public, all the things you’ve ever wanted in a relationship. Hearing the soft strumming throughout your house was slowly becoming the highlight of your every day. At this point, you knew you loved him. You just couldn’t bring yourself to say the words. Something deep in your subconscious had convinced you that as soon as you did, he’d be gone. As much as you believed he’d never leave you, that one dark part in the back of your head controlled you. That didn’t stop him from saying it though. Every chance he got, he’d tell you how happy you made him. How much he loved you. When you explained to him how you felt about saying it back, he wasn’t upset. If anything it just made him say it more. 

One negative to being in a relationship though, is having to go to the dances Jackson hosted once every season. Of course, you were almost a hundred percent sure if you told Joel you didn’t want to go, he’d jump at the opportunity to stay home. He hated them as much as you did. You’re not entirely sure why you keep going if you’re being honest with yourself. Maybe it’s the fact you actually have a reason to go. Perhaps you’re just glad you finally have someone to show off. Joel had no idea how relieved you were to not have to deal with the well meaning, but generally rude comments about your relationship status. Either way, there’s no one you’d rather hide by the back of the bar with than Joel. Most of the time, the two of you would just get drunk and make fun of Tommy’s dancing skills. Occasionally, Joel would drag you out for a slow song, but that was only after you got a few glasses of whiskey in him. Like all good things though, your mostly tame experiences didn’t last. Who would’ve thought it would be the winter-themed dance where things would go wrong.

The night started out fine. You and Joel arrived a lot later than usual. Thankfully, you were still able to settle into your seats at the back of the bar, mostly unnoticed. But before you could even start your second drink, your attention was captured elsewhere. It was in the middle of some slow song when the two of you heard yelling from the dance floor. Your eyes found Seth standing in front of Ellie and Dina, whose hands were intertwined, you noticed. Unfortunately, it didn’t take much to assume what the asshole had said to the girls. You didn’t have time to protest before Joel was out of his seat. “What the fuck did you just say?” Ellie ripped her hand from Dina’s, approaching Seth with a very aggressive stance. You started after Joel, realizing exactly what would happen if you didn’t. Before Ellie could get a hold of him, Joel pushed him away from her. “Hey! Get the hell outta here.” Seth stumbled backwards, his face contorting in anger. “Get your hands off me!” You glanced at Ellie, desperately trying to read her expression. Anger, of course, but you couldn’t tell exactly who it was directed at. Before the situation could escalate any further, Maria jumped in between the two men, her hand pushing back on Joel’s chest. “Hey! Enough!” She demanded, glancing between the two men. Tommy had followed her over, putting his hand on Seth’s shoulder. Joel looked down at her then back up at Seth, his eyes narrowed. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.” She pushed Seth backwards, Tommy helping to guide him to the door. “What about them?” Seth sneered, resisting only slightly. “You worry about yourself.” He had turned completely now, starting towards the door without the help of the couple. “Let’s get you some fresh air.” Tommy said, glancing back at his brother, before following Maria and Seth out the door.

“You okay, kiddo?” Joel had turned around, his expression softening instantly. You were glad Maria had stepped in. In the end, you probably should have, but hey, the dude was a dick to Ellie and Dina. He deserved a proper beating from Joel. Ellie seemed to have relaxed a bit, turning to glance at Dina, who was standing awkwardly a few feet behind them. “Yeah, I’m fine. He’s just an asshole.” Her voice was quiet, merely a mumble. Before Joel could say anything else, she sighed. “Thanks.” You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. Good thing that malice was directly specifically at Seth. “He’s lucky Maria got in between us. Go on, get out of here.” He gave her a small smile, in which she returned before taking Dina’s hand in her own and turning towards the back door. Joel turned towards you, stepping forward to touch the small of your back. “I think it’s time we go too.” He whispered, guiding you towards the other entrance. You nodded, allowing him to do so. As much as you wanted Seth’s face punched in, you were glad Joel wouldn’t have to face any repercussions. 

When the two of you got home, you made a break for the kitchen, in desperate need of a cup of coffee. Joel had traded with the group that came in last week who, surprisingly, had an overwhelming supply of coffee. He wouldn’t tell you exactly what he traded, but all you know is he walked through your front door with a whole backpack full of coffee beans. You would ask him if he wanted a cup, but you already knew the answer. As you waited for it to brew, you gazed out at Ellie’s place. You wondered if her and Dina were officially together. The girl had been pining over the other for the longest time. You’re glad to see she finally worked up the nerve. Well, that is if she made the first move. Dina was a little bolder to say the least. That didn’t matter in the end. As long as they were happy together.

Joel was strumming quietly on his guitar when you walked into the living room with both cups in your hands. He graciously took the mug from your hands, setting the guitar aside. You settled in next to him, pulling your knees to your chest, sitting your cup on top of them. “So.. that happened.” You started, taking a sip from the mug. He gave you a look before doing the same. “If only Maria hadn’t stepped in. Hell, I might still kick his ass.” Seth had no idea what he just got himself into, did he? Eh, it’s not like you cared for him. “And as much as I support you doing that, you should probably refrain from doing so unless Ellie is on board.” His eyes fell to the floor, a sigh escaping from his lips. “I know I overstepped but I just.. couldn’t control myself.” Joel and his papa bear instincts. At times like these, you’re glad he cares about you. With Joel protecting you, you felt invincible.

You reached over and pushed his hair out of his face, letting your hand rest on his cheek. “It’s okay, I don’t think she’s mad at you.” He looked up at you, a small smile framing his face. You leaned over to him, careful not to spill your coffee, and pressed your lips against his gently. “I’m gonna go upstairs and change out of these clothes. When I’m done, why don’t you play me that song I like so much?” That made him smile, his free hand engulfing yours on his cheek. “Sounds good?” You stood up with his hand still in yours. “I’ll be up in a second.” He confirmed, voice full of promise. You placed your coffee on the side table, starting up the stairs in a jog. You were overcome with love, having realized just how lucky you were. Who finds genuine love during an apocalypse? Maybe the universe didn’t hate you as much as you thought it did. This was the first time you’d felt genuine love like this in a while. You were happy, and nothing could change that as long as you had Joel by your side.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for any spelling and/or grammatical errors. this is unedited. i'm not the best writer, as you've probably already noticed, but i'm trying to get better. thanks for coming on this journey with me.


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